


All the Good Love When We're All Alone

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: F/M, Family, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-24
Updated: 2016-01-24
Packaged: 2018-05-15 21:58:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5801764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Being with you is like a second wind.” He replied.  “Besides, I got excited talking about pancakes.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	All the Good Love When We're All Alone

**Author's Note:**

> adarafaelbarbas asked for a fic of Rafael dancing (telling you anything else would give some story away). I was happy to write this.

_I can't stop this feeling  
Deep inside of me  
Girl, you just don't realize  
What you do to me_

_When you hold me  
In your arms so tight  
You let me know  
Everything's alright_

_I'm hooked on a feeling  
I'm high on believing  
That you're in love with me_

For a man who said he couldn’t dance, countless times, Rafael’s hips and feet were moving pretty well tonight in his yellow and blue socks. Noah’s little radio was on and he was dancing to Blue Swede. His butt looked really good in the well-tailored blue slacks he wore. She couldn’t help but snap a few pictures for photo evidence the next time he tried to decline a spin around the living room with her. Olivia waited for just a moment, enjoying the view. She put her phone away and cleared her throat.

“Oh my god,” Rafael turned around, he was holding Noah to his chest. “You scared me. I thought I was alone.”

“Clearly.” She smiled. “Hi there.”

“He wasn’t sleeping so I thought I would maybe sing him to sleep. I don’t know if that really works, my mother says it does but so far he's just as awake as he was when I started and this is our second song.”

“He's probably only awake because you're holding him and moving around.” 

Liv walked into the nursery. She gave Rafael a kiss on the cheek and then took Noah into her arms. She gave him a few kisses as well and put him down in the crib. After she covered him with the blanket he laid there with his eyes open.

“See, he's not asleep.” Rafael said.

“There are nights when he passes right out. There are other nights I have to keep him awake a bit longer so he won't wake too early in the morning. There are some nights, rare but it happens, where he cries to keep himself awake because toddlers are weird. He’ll pass out Counselor; he always does.”

“So you just leave him alone in here?” 

“Yep.” Liv nodded and turned off the radio. “I put on the mobile, the lights and music are soothing, and then I walk out.”

“And nothing happens?” Rafael asked as Liv led him out of the room.

“What do you mean?”

“He won’t cry or possibly choke on anything or throw things out of the crib?”

“No. Noah is going to be fine, though your song and dance is very much appreciated.”

“How much of that did you see exactly?”

“Very little.” Liv replied.

“How come I don’t believe you.” He gave her a skeptical look.

“I like your hat, honey.”

“What?” Rafael put his hand on his head. When he felt it up there, it made his cheeks color a little. He quickly took it off. “Noah kept putting it on me while we watched TV. Just wearing it became easier than fighting the inevitable.”

“I should've gotten a picture or two.” She said.

“Absolutely not, Lieutenant.”

They were Noah’s custom made Mickey Mouse ears. He loved the Disney mascot and Liv got him a pair specially made with his name on them at the Disney store. They looked adorably ridiculous on a 40 something man. This was only the third time that Liv left Rafael and Noah alone together. She had a major paperwork monster at work and Lucy had already done overtime twice this week. 

Liv was going to call Trevor to see if he could do it when Rafael volunteered. He'd done OK before and spending more time with Noah was important to him. Since Liv didn’t think anything apocalyptic could happen in two hours, even in Manhattan, she agreed. Rafael was right in that spending more time with Noah was important. Not just because he and Liv were in a personal relationship now but because he knew too little about small children. 

He was an uncle but never spent extended amounts of time with kids without supervision. That was really fine with him. Diapers, drool, and the occasional, or frequent screaming fit was not Rafael Barba’s cup of tea. Mess was also something he could do without. And Noah Benson loved to make a mess. 

He was a relatively quiet and tame kid but he left tornados in his wake. He loved building and knocking down things. He was getting to the age where climbing on things was adventurous, the more dangerous the better. It was a bad idea to take your eyes off him for longer than a few minutes at a time. 

Rafael had to banish him to the playpen the two times he went to the bathroom that evening. But they also had a lot of fun. There were cartoons and French fries and story time…Noah was actually pretty good company. Olivia called once to check on them so there was facetime with mommy as well.

“I think we should kiss hello again.” Rafael tossed the mouse ears onto the loveseat before wrapping his arms around Olivia.

“Yeah?”

“Mmm hmm.” He nodded. “My hands were a bit full last time.”

“Your hands are full this time too, Counselor.”

Liv wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him passionate kisses. The way Rafael moaned let her know that he didn’t see that coming. He wanted a good one but she put it on him. Nothing like making a man weak in his knees to end the day on a high note.

“Wow.” He said when he could breathe again. Then he kissed her nose.

“I concur.” She kissed him again. “I'm so glad to be home. It was a long day today.”

“We should get you off of your feet.”

“I'm listening.”

“How does breakfast for dinner sound?” Rafael brushed her hair aside and kissed her neck. “I can make pancakes and sausage, we can sit around and eat as if the entire world is ours; no worries. We can watch a couple of episodes of _Supernatural_ …you can drool over the angels all you want. Then we can slide under warm blankets, high on maple syrup and each other, listening to the rain fall like a love song…what?”

“Mmm,” Liv had a big smile on her face. “Sometimes you just really get me.”

“Of course I do, eres mi amor (1). Sé que tu corazón; sé que tu vientre. (2)”

“I love you.”

“I love you more. C'mon, you sit down and relax and I’ll take care of you.”

“Didn’t you have a long day, Rafi?” Liv sat down on the loveseat. She nearly melted into it, it really had been that kind of day.

“Being with you is like a second wind.” He replied. “Besides, I got excited talking about pancakes.”

“I did too. If you're sure…”

“I'm sure. I've actually been looking forward to it all day.”

Moments of domesticity were Rafael’s favorite and they usually revolved around food and TV. He and Liv would make their favorite meals, cuddling up on the couch or her bed, or his bed, after Noah fell asleep and just be a couple. They didn’t talk about work or challenge each other on things that didn’t need to be challenged. Sometimes they would watch a movie and just recite all the lines. 

Other times they went to Netflix and binged a show they both loved, or maybe one they’d never got around to watching. In those moments his entire heart was filled with love for her. Rafael never thought he'd have the kind of relationship that he and Olivia had. He'd come close just once and found a way to ruin it before getting to enjoy how amazing it really was.

“I definitely need a glass of wine to take the edge off the day.” Liv made her way to the kitchen and grabbed a Cabernet from the wine rack on the counter. “I'm going to get undressed and set up Netflix in the bedroom.”

“Do you want one big ass pancake or two regular sized pancakes?”

“One big ass pancake please.” She walked past him, taking a moment to kiss the nape of his neck. “I’ll be in the bedroom.”

Those were five words she knew he loved to hear. Olivia took a detour to check on Noah first and he was sound asleep. She pushed a tuft of hair from his forehead, knowing she couldn’t stay long because she didn’t want to wake him. Her little peanut’s day was over. Hers was coming to a very nice close.

***

**Author's Note:**

> 1) You are my love.  
> 2) I know your heart. I know your belly.


End file.
